MIAMI_An important homestand for the Miami Heat turned into the perfect homestand.
Trailing by five points with 1:47 remaining in regulation, the Heat (24-8) rallied and eventually defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 117-116 in overtime on Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami finished its four-game homestand with an undefeated 4-0 record, and improved to 15-1 at home this season.
The Heat is 6-0 in overtime games this season.
With the game tied at 116, Heat wing Jimmy Butler was fouled by 76ers big man Al Horford on a jump shot with 2.3 seconds to play in overtime. Butler missed the first free throw, but made the second to give Miami a one-point lead that proved to be enough.
76ers forward Tobias Harris had a good look at a potential game-winning three, but he missed as the final buzzer sounded.
A wild finish to regulation preceded overtime.
Rookie guard Tyler Herro, who finished with 16 points with the help of 4-of-8 shooting on threes, hit a three-pointer with 6.9 seconds remaining in regulation to put the Heat ahead 107-106.
After Butler made one of two free throws with 3.3 seconds to play in regulation to extend the Heat's lead to two, Goran Dragic reached in and inadvertently fouled 76ers wing Josh Richardson with one second remaining.
Richardson had two free throws to tie the game, missing the first and intentionally missing the second. Ben Simmons grabbed the rebound and made the game-tying putback layup with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Five takeaways from the Heat's win over the 76ers (23-12) ...
1. The Heat is proving it can play with the Eastern Conference's best teams.
Not only did the Heat record its second win of the season over the 76ers on Saturday, but Miami has also earned victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets this season.
The Heat has posted a 6-2 combined record this season against the Eastern Conference's top seven teams.
In fact, Miami already has a list of quality wins this season. For all the winning the Heat has done against inferior opponents (11-1 against teams with a losing record), it also has a 12-7 record against teams with a winning record.
After riding its zone defense to an impressive road victory over the 76ers on Dec. 18, the Heat mixed in zone in Saturday's matchup against the 76ers.
The Heat used zone on a season-high 53 possessions in the teams' second meeting of the season a few weeks ago in Philadelphia. Miami didn't use it that much Saturday, with coach Erik Spoelstra toggling between man and zone throughout the game.
Philadelphia All-Star center Joel Embiid was a force, with 35 points and 11 rebounds.
2. Butler has not been an efficient scorer over the past two games, but he has found other ways to make a difference.
Over the past two games, Butler has shot 10 of 32 from the field. That includes Saturday's performance, which included 25 points on 7 of 21 shooting, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Butler made his first field goal of Saturday's game with 1:10 remaining in the first half.
The Bam Adebayo-Butler duo combined to score 36 points on 12-of-35 (34.3%) shooting against Philadelphia. Adebayo also finished below his season averages in rebounds and assists with four rebounds and two assists.
During this short two-game stretch, Butler has still managed to average 22.5 points. That's because Butler has been able to get to the free-throw line, as he's 25 of 29 from the foul line over the past two contests.
Butler has also recorded 18 rebounds, 15 assists and three steals during this two-game span.
Nonetheless, it has been a tough shooting season for Butler so far.
Butler entered Saturday shooting 43.1% from the field, which would be his worst single-season shooting percentage since he made 39.7% of his shots in the third season of his career in 2013-14. He also entered shooting 28.2% on threes, which would be his worst single-season three-point shooting percentage since he made 18.2% of his threes as a rookie in 2011-12.
3. Richardson finished his return to AmericanAirlines Arena with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting on threes, five rebounds and two assists in 40 minutes.
Saturday marked Richardson's first game back in Miami since the Heat traded him to the 76ers this past offseason as part of the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade deal.
There was no in-game tribute video for Richardson, with the Heat instead opting to honor his return in other ways. Miami reserves video tributes at AmericanAirlines Arena for players who were on its championship rosters, like the ones LeBron James, Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers received when they returned to Miami.
Richardson was announced last among 76ers starters, with public address announcer Michael Baiamonte emphasizing Richardson's name like he was still a member of the Heat. A loud ovation from fans followed.
Richardson, 26, spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Heat after Miami drafted him in the second round with the 40th overall pick in 2015.
The reunion tour continues in Miami on Jan. 5, when former Heat center Hassan Whiteside returns to AmericanAirlines Arena to face his old team for the first time since Miami traded him to Portland this past offseason. Whiteside was also dealt to the Trail Blazers as part of the Butler sign-and-trade move.
4. Duncan Robinson continues to prove he's one of the league's top shooters.
The Heat's second-year forward scored 16 on 6-of-6 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting on threes against the 76ers. Robinson, who played under a two-way contract with the Heat last season, has shot 53.1% on threes over the past 10 games.
Robinson entered Saturday ranked seventh in the NBA with 101 made threes this season, tied Portland's Damian Lillard. Among the 24 players averaging seven or more three-point shot attempts per game, Robinson owns the second-best three-point shooting percentage at 45.5% behind only New Orleans' JJ Redick (45.8%).
5. Derrick Jones Jr. is in the middle of the best stretch of his NBA career, and he has turned into an essential part of the Heat's rotation.
The 22-year-old forward contributed 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes off the Heat's bench Saturday. Jones was used as a roll man in pick-and-rolls multiple times against the 76ers, and the results were positive with the athletic Jones putting pressure on the defense as he rolled to the basket.
Jones has also been effective on the defensive end, both as a man-to-man defender and at the top of the Heat's zone. Entering Saturday, those guarded by Jones were shooting 37.8% from the field this season _ 8.1% worse than their normal shooting percentage.
The next big step for Jones (6-6, 210 pounds) is remaining healthy and available. He has already missed 14 games this season due to injury (four because of a strained left groin and 10 because of a strained left hip).
